Loose leaf book and method of manufacture



Dec. 11, 1934. F. s. SCHADE LOOSE LEAF BOOK AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURE Filed March 2l, 1953 INVENTOR. FFM/VK $.ScH/1DE 9' M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED l-s'rA'rss LOOSE LEAF noon. ANDv lMETHOD oF MANUFACTURE Frank S.v Schade, Holyoke, Mass., assignor to National Blank Book Company,

- Holyoke,

Mass., a'corporatien of Massachusetts Application March 2l,

3 Claims.

This `inventionrelates to an improved loose leaf book and to an improved method of manufacturing such a book at low cost.

The improvement is shown as applied to a ring binder. It is the custom to make the case of a ring binder by automatic machines when the binder is to be sold at a low cost. vSuch ma- .chines are standard case-making equipment. They assemble and finish the covers and back into a case of flat form. The back portion is then given curved form by pressing it out with a heated die. With the case thus fn'iished, the metallic loose leaf structure is usually attached by riveting it through the cardboard back and the binder is complete. This customary procedure produces a ring binder at the lowest cost. The difficulty with it is that the back of the binder case is entirely of cardboard. This-material isused because it can be assembled with the. cardboard covers all in hat form, by the automatic machines that are standard. When the cardboard back is afterwards curved for Athe finished binder, and the metallic loose leaf structure riveted on, the binder looks all right when new, but it is not strong enough to stand up in use. It soonshows a worn out and bad appearance. The metallic loose leaf structure atk the back readilyv tears away from the back of the binder. o f

Better gradesof ring binders are customarily made with curvedmetallic stiiening plates at the 'back to which the looseleaf structure is attached. These are customarily assembled by hand, asstandard case-making machinery is not made for work in assembling the ordinary metal backs with the covers. The increased cost of the better grade and metal-backed bind- `ers is'due rlargely to the -cost of the hand labor required, rather `than the materials used.

vAccording to one feature of the present invention, a special construction and method of procedure has been conceived for making a ring binder case having a special back construction, including a metallic stiifening plate. This par- 4 ticular back construction is adapted for assembly with its covers by standard automaticcasemaking machinery `that customarily works only with cardboard panels for covers and back. The newplan permits the case, with an improved back member, to be madewith vexactly the same facility in the automatic machines that are standard-for making cardboard cases. Such machines'do not need to be changed in any particular. I am enabled to make my new structure Vat substantially the same labor cost as the cardboard structures 4with the weak backs that have heretofore supplied the' low-priced ringv binder market; l

'Ihe above featurefandaothersf to be claimed i988, serial No. 661,909

(ci. 12e-24) will be understood from the accompanying drawing and following description.

`Fig. l is a transverse sectional view of the new binder case construction at one stage of its manufacture, with the parts slightly spaced so as to be more readily distinguished in the drawing. rIt' is shown in that stage of construction (except for the separation of the parts) when the automatic case making machinery has delivered the case in flat form;

Fig. 2 is a View like Fig. l, showing the-same parts (without separation) at a further stage vof manufacture after the back has been pressed to curved form and the metallic loose leaf structure attached to the back of the book;

Fig. 3 is an end View of the nisied ring binder book with the left-hand cover cut-away to save space; and

Fig. 4 is a detail plan view with parts in section (and a part broken away) of the back panel Aor body member for the back of the case which is made flat to form a part of the assembly shown in Fig. 1.

To make an improved ring binder at low cost, according to my invention I provide flat 'panels of cardboard (or equivalent material) for the body of the covers and back. Cover panels 5 and 6 may be of simple cardboard form. But the back panel b, while made for the most part of cardboard, as shownat 7, is made up in composite form having a thin layer of metal 8. The latter forms a vthin laminated part'of the back panel. It does not add materially to the thickness of panel b as the cardboard part 7 is relatively much thicker.

This laminated back panel may be made up in various specific ways and-fit into the plan of my invention. One way that I have used with particular advantage is shown in Figs. l and; 4. It consists of cardboard i (which may be of the same vthickness and material as panels 5 and 6') andthe thin metal plate 8 partly encasing and attached to cardboard '7. Thev metal plate is rather stiff. 1t is satisfactorilylaminated and-attached to cardboard 'I by having its side edges bent around the longitudinal edges of the cardboard and turned down tightly against the opposite side. This is shown at Qin Figs. l and 4. If the underlying edges of theV metal are pinched downwardly against the cardboard, as at series of lines 1.0,-the security of the attachment will be increased. it will readily be vseen that the thin metali plate 8` could bek attached to the 'cardboard laminationY in' other ways, as by bending vdown'triang'ular" teeth fromlthe face of the metal and" pressing theminto the cardboard. My speA ciii'c form'. shownhas the advantage of vsmooth edges, a Atight laminated condition and low cost of assembly.

`In the plate 8v I provide two centrally aligned spaced holes v11. They are rivet holes made'oversize for a purpose to be described. Ihey are covered on the under side by the cardboard '7, as indicated in Fig.- 1 and on the left-hand end of Fig. 4. Y' 'Y In making up the composite back panel as described, I find it of considerable advantage to leave very short extensions 12 and 13 of the cardboard panel 'l Wholly uncovered by any part of metal plate 8. This makes the ends of the back panel soft. This detailhelps in the assembly ot other parts, as will be described.

As shown ini Fig. 1, the cover panels 5 and 6 with back panel b are all assembled iiat and in the same plane. Strips of iiexible material are assembled in fiat condition to tie the body panels together and give their surfaces a good appearance.Y These are also assembled nat and some have their edges turned over as indicated. As shown, strip 14 is laid on for the hinge strip. Strip 15 is the outside cover strip (cooperating With'the hinge strip) extending across the back of all three panels and turned up over the edges all the Way around to give-a nice appearance. Strips 16 are the lining strips overlapping the edges of strips 1li and 15. SometimesY these strips are of paper and sometimes of cloth. The arrangement shown is adapted for complete assembly With all parts pasted together by the standard automatic case making machines.W The latter can make iiat cases of the type shownat an extremely lovv machine cost.

It is customary; after making flat cardboard cases by the automatic machine, to make rivet holes through a stack of cases by drilling with apaper drill. In my binder construction I desire to follow the same lovv cost'procedure, so the oversize rivetY holes 11 are provided in the metal and, when the cases are stacked, holes 11 are near enough in alignment (with no necessity for exact alignment) for the paper drill to pierce the cardboard Without interference by the laminated metal.

When the cases are being finished in the automatic machines, the cardboard'edges 12 and 13 (Fig. Li) at the ends of the back panel permit the same eective pasting down operations (at end edge seen in Fig. 2, for example) as if the Whole back panel were of cardboard. Thus, with respect to the various-pase making operations, it Will be seen that I make special provision to avoid any interference with the desired customs of the old cardboard type of manufacture that contained no metal in the back panel.

After the flat case is made complete, I press the back from flat to curved form. If it were not for my metal layer in the back, hot dies Would need to be used to permanently shape the cardboard. But with my new construction, a cold die will readily bend and set the metal part of the laminated back panel to curved form, and thus the cardboard part Will be held to that form shown in Fig. 2. This does avvay With the extra expense and nuisance of the heated dies as commonly used to curve the back panels of cardboard cases that are made flat in the machine operation. When the back panel is curved I then rivet the metallic loose leaf structure or ring mechanism on the back by the usual operations.

As seen in Fig. 2, there aredistinct advantages in so locating the laminated back panel that the metallic layer is at the inside face with the ordinary cardboard layer at the outside face. Considering the ordinary rivet head 18, it vvill be seen that any force acting to pull it through the cardboard layer makes Iit necessary to compress the cardboard against the metal layer 8 and shear the cardboard at the edge of the oversize rivet holes 11. This would require much more than the in rough use of the book. If the position of the klayers in the back panel were reversed, it will There is anotherY place Where such prior art books of low cost have been exceedingly Weak.

This is at either end of the panel where nice appear-ance is particularly desired. The customary book has its rivets spaced from these ends, as indicated by the holes l1 shown in Fig. 4.. It is not desired to'put therivets very near the ends for various reasons. Thus the prior art ends of cardboard, covered only by thin layers of fabric or paper such as layers 14 and 15, readily bend and tear and soon acquire a dog-eared appearance which is highly objectionable. To avoid this in my construction the thin imetal layer 8 and overturned edges 9 grasping the carboard are brought quite close to the ends, as shown in Fig. 4. They are so close that the cardboard has no chance to bend, as the slight uncovered extensions 12 and 13 are too Yshort to be bent'to any substantial extent. As before stated, such uncovered extensions are particularly useful in providing good pasting Contact for the covering strip 15. They provide a soft pad surface to avoid any tendency for the strip 15 to be injured in use. If the metal parts extended all the vvay to the ends, these advantages would'fbe lost.

There is another advantage in arranging the layers of the laminated back panel as I have shovvn in Figs. 1 and 2. It is in the plan of stamping decorations or lettering VYon the back of the book. The cardboard layer at the back, being soft yand'yielding,Y greatly assists the stamping operations on the back, Whereas if the book-had a metal back the work could not be done as easily.

One result of the Whole arrangement is that the ring binder book shown in Fig. 3 has the advantages of both a cardboard and a metal backed book Without the disadvantages of either. This result is in the product. Another result is that a ring book having all the substantial advantages of a metal backed book vby my invention can be made at the exceedingly low cost substantially equal to the lovv cost of the cardboard backed book. In the last mentioned feature oi invention, the conception involves not merely the finished product but the finished and improved product in such form as Will t into the desired prior art meth- I claim:

l. In a loose leaf book of the type in which the case is made of cardboard containing panels for covers and back and carrying the usual strips for hinging, lining, and decorative purposes, and all adapted for rapid manufacture in flat case form and subsequent curving of the book back, the combination of the cardboard back panel and a comparatively thin and much stiffer metal sheet fastened to the back panel so as to form a stiff composite laminated unit for the book back, such unit being permanently built into the back panel of the case independently of the metalic loose leaf mechanism, said metal sheet but not the cardboard element of the backfpanel having oversize rivet holes provided therein and loose leaf mechanism riveted to said back panel unit through said holes and cardboard element.

2,. In a loose leaf book of the type in which the case is made of cardboard containing panels for covers and back portions and carrying the usual strips for hinges, lining, and decorative purposes, all adapted for rapid manufacture in flat case form and subsequent curving cf the book back, the combination of the cardboard element of the back panel and a comparatively thin but much stiffer metal sheet fastened over one face of said cardboard element so as to form a stiff composite unit for the book back, said unit being permanently built into the back panel of the case with the metal sheet on the unit facing the inside of the case with the cushioning cardboard layer facing the outside of the case, and loose leaf structure riveted to said book back through oversize rivet holes provided in the metal sheet and fitting rivet holes provided in the cardboard back panel.

3. In a loose leaf book of the type in which the case is made of cardboard containing panels for covers and back portions and carrying the usual strips for hinges, lining, and decorative purposes, all adapted for rapid manufacture in at case form and subsequent curving of the book back, the combination of the cardboard element of the back panel and a comparatively thin but stiff metal sheet extending over substantially the entire face of said cardboard element and bent over its longitudinal edges to grip the same and fasten the cardboard and metal sheets together so as to form a stiff composite unit for the book back, said unit being permanently built into and forming the back panel of the case, and loose leaf structure attached to the case at said back panel.

4. The method of making a loose leaf book which consists in attaching a back panel element of cardboard to a comparatively thin but stiffer panel element of metal so as to form a composite laminated unit substantially no thicker than the cardboard, assembling said unit with cardboard cover elements and with all in ilat form, attaching flexible strips for hinges, lining and decorative purposes to said elements to finish the case in flat form, pressing the back panel in the linished case to give a permanent curved form and finally attaching the metal loose leaf structure to the finished back panel.

5. The method of making loose leaf books Which consists in attaching back panel units of cardboard to comparatively thin but stiffer panel elements of metal each provided with spaced and oversized rivet holes covered by the cardboard so as to form a series of composite laminated units each of which is substantially the thickness of the cardboard, assembling each of said units with a set of cardboard cover panels and all in flat form, attaching flexible strips for hinging, lining, and decorative purposes to said panels to finish a series of cases in flat form, piling said cases'together, drilling correctly sized rivet holes through the cardboard of the back panels in approximate line With the oversize rivet holes of said metal panels and then riveting a loose leaf structure through said rivet holes to each finished case.

6. The method of making loose leaf books which consists in attaching back panel elements of cardboard to comparatively thin but stiffer panel elements of metal each provided with spaced and. oversized rivet holes covered by the cardboard so as to form a series of composite laminated units each of which is substantially the thickness of the cardboard, assembling each of said units with a set of cardboard cover elements and all in flat form, attaching flexible strips for hinging, lining, and decorative purposes to said panels to finish a series of cases in flat form, piling said cases together, drilling correctly sized rivet holes through the cardboard of the back panels in approximate line with the oversize rivet holes of said metal panels, pressing the back panel of each flat case to curved form, and then riveting a loose leaf structure through said rivet holes to each finished case.

7. In a loose leaf book of the type in which the case is made of cardboard containing panels for covers and back and carrying the usual strips for hinging, lining, and decorative purposes, and all adapted for rapid manufacture in flat case form and subsequent curving of the book back, the combination of the cardboard back panel and comparatively thin and much stiffer sheet metal means fastened to the back panel and covering the area adjacent the ends thereof so as to form a stiff composite laminated unit for the book back, such unit being permanently built into the back panel of the case independently of the metallic loose leaf mechanism, said sheet metal means but not the cardboard element of the back panel having oversize rivet holes provided therein and loose leaf mechanism riveted to said back panel unit through said holes and cardboard element.

8. The method of making loose leaf books which consists in attaching back panel units of cardboard to comparatively thin but stiffer panel elements of metal providedwith oversized rivet holes spaced apart on said units and covered by the cardboard, so as to form a series of composite laminated units each of which is substantially the thickness of the cardboard, assembling each of said composite units with a set of cardboard cover panels all in flat form, attaching exible strips for hinging, lining, and decorative purposes to said assembled panels to finish a series of cases in at form, piling said cases together, making correctly sized rivet holes through the cardboard of the back panels in approximate line with the oversize rivet holes of said metal panels and then riveting a loose leaf structure through said rivet holes to each finished case.

FRANK S. SCHADE. 

